Expert: Mark - 5/18/2006

Question
Hi Mark,

I have recently moved to a new area, and must change a few aspects of my camping routine. I have read about bears and their obsession with human food, especially in the Sierras, and I'd like to know what to expect in Washington. My camping will be tent-based and hike-in, rather than drive-in or in a park. I have had no problem just hanging food in the past, but that was mostly in New Hampshire. Bear canisters are great, except for the size and weight, ...and the cost. When backpacking in Washington state, are bear-proof containers necessary (or highly recommended)?

Thanks,

Scott

Answer
Hi Scott,
   Welcome to the great Northwest! Good question and I'll try my best to give you a good, if multi conditioned, answer.
    First off, remember the addage "A fed Bear is a Dead Bear".  Everything you've heard about food addicted/conditioned bears has some grain of truth in it. However food conditioned bears are a fact of life just as true in Washington, or Montana, as it is in New Hamshire or North Carolina. The Sierra's have far more visitors, thus far more chance to get food conditioned bears than most places that have a healthy bear population. But, it only takes one slob camper, dumb tourist or careless cabin owner to condemn our bear buddies to death via extermination or perhaps even starvation when it's time to hibernate.
    In 30 plus years of hiking in bear country from Southern California to Alaska the only camp I've had torn up was by a couple of food mugger bears in Yosemite National Park.  Yep, that's the Sierras and the trail I was on (early March 1975, before the big crowds get there) was hiked by hundreds of people daily during the peak visiting season.  These bears were well rehearsed, well coordinated and interested in one thing only ... human food. They ripped up all my gear, but didn't get an ounce of the food we had hung 20 feet off the nearest cliff.
    In the U.S., grizzlies outside of Alaska have been eliminated from 99% of their range and their numbers reduced from 100,000 to fewer than 1,000 since Europeans arrived on the continent. Significant grizzly populations now live only in the Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide ecosystems. Very small populations inhabit the North Cascades of Washington, the Selkirks of Washington and Idaho, and the Cabinet-Yaaks of Idaho and Montana. However, our friends, the Black Bear are doing just fine virtually everwhere!
    In Washington the population estimate for Black bears stands steady at 25,000. So your question is a damn fine one for a guy who wants to rest easy on the trails of all that great country. Here is my advice.
   First off, don't let the fact these guys live where you want to recreate bother you. Having worked as a Bear Management Ranger in Glacier and run the backpacking concession there since 1983, I can tell you you'll have more problems with rain in Washington's backcountry than you probably ever will with bears. Learn all you can about hiking smart in Bear country, do it and if you're lucky you'll catch a glimpse of the local bruins from 1/4 mile or so.
   Second, keep hanging your food as you have in the past unless the agency that administers the areas you plan to visit requires bear canisters. Some areas, like Glacier in Montana, have loaner bear canisters if you'll be camping above treeline, but even then do not require their use. Keep in mind that our bears (Pacific Northwest/Rocky Mountains) are a bit bigger, on average, than bears you might have seen on the East Coast. Griz can't climb trees; but the big ones can reach 10-12 feet standing on their hind legs. Black bears can climb; but are usually stymied if the food sack(s) are at least 8 feet from the nearest climbing tree.
    Third, be smart in menu planning. Think about it.  These guys can smell you coming miles away if the wind is right. Prepare food well away (at least 100 feet) from any camping area and hang your food at least that far away in the other direction. Since 1983 I have never had a breakfast or dinner in camp that contained meat or fish. I cook rather elaborate meals (only in the backcountry, I love to eat well when I'm working hard) and have routinely substituted TVP (texturized vegitable protein - soy based) for meat in my menu.  It gives me my protein and my guests always figure they're eating ground beef. Eat you meat at lunch, on the trail (Jerky/sausage etc.).
     Lastly, remember that except in extremly rare cases, our bears are wild.  They want less to do with us then we do with them. If you are a savy backpacker and remember you are the guest in their home, you'll be safer camping in Bear country than you would be crossing the street in a moderately sized city.
    Hope this helps. Get out there and enjoy your new neighborhood.
                                                           Good Luck,
                                                                Mark